DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 07/25/2015 Duedate: 08/07/2015
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-434
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
SAJAN
PUPPET LORDS (1675)
(93-9772) [6-3-0,62]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY SAJAN
PUPPET LORDS (1675)
(93-9772) [6-3-0,62]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
SAJAN NOT ENOUGH
PUPPET LORDS (1675) BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
(93-9772) [6-3-0,62] (93-9834) [2-1-0,17]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. PUPPET LORDS (1675) 19
2. RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) 18 THE NEST (286)
3. BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) 15 Unchartered Team
4. FARM ANIMALS (1682) 14
5. SUICIDE SQUAD (1683) 1BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*BASH BROS LEFTOVE (1685) 12 3 0 80.0 1/ 2*BASH BROS LEFTOVE (1685) 12 3 0
2/ 2*FARM ANIMALS (1682) 8 6 1 57.1 2/ 1*PUPPET LORDS (1675) 10 5 0
3/ 3*PUPPET LORDS (1675) 23 22 1 51.1 3/ 3*FARM ANIMALS (1682) 8 6 1
4/ 4*RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) 8 22 1 26.7 4/ 4*RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) 5 7 0
5- 5*KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) 1 4 0 20.0 5- 5*KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) 1 4 0
6/ 0*SUICIDE SQUAD (1683) 0 1 0 0.0 6/ 0*SUICIDE SQUAD (1683) 0 1 0
7- 6*GUARDIANS (303) 0 1 0 0.0 7- 6*GUARDIANS (303) 0 1 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
HOW'S THIS D2 THING ACTUALLY WORK?
D2, the game of Duelmasters, is just plain fun. It is so good that there has even
been a published book written about it! It must be great, then! Do you want to have
the fun and pleasures that hundreds of other managers before you have experienced?
Can't blame you! I have been enjoying Duelmasters-to-D2 for nearly 30 years. Perhaps
this article will assist or simplify your introduction to this game and speed up your
enjoyment process. It goes something like this:
ACQUIRE A D2 ROLL UPS sheet from RSI. (Reality Simulations Inc., P.O. Box 22400,
Tempe AZ 85285-2400, 480-967-7979) The first sheet/team is free. Subsequent teams cost
$5. Later, after your introductory 10 turns in the Noblish Island (DM93) arena, you
can transfer your starting team to another arena, or you may find you even want to
start up a new team/s in other arenas, or both. Actually, you can start new teams any
time, even while going through your learning process in DM93; but you may want to
"learn the ropes" first.
FILL OUT THE ROLL UPS and send the sheet to RSI. Other than the normal personal
information, the most important things to decide are: Team name, Manager Name, and 5
individual warrior designs. Let's discuss each of those briefly. Team name and manager
name can be anything you like that fits you. (RSI will edit inappropriate naming.)
They can be gladiator driven, silly ideas, great play on words, or whatever. The
warrior names can be closely tied to the team name, or not. My very first team was:
Bulldogs, manager Kennelworth, and names like Tiger Lily, Sir Smythe, Wild Wayne, and
Flash. A team I admire in the game is Azure Clouds, manager Slugbait, warrior names
like Black Bile, Violent Orange, Blue Note.
We could spend hours and hours on warrior designs, (Where to place the 14 points
on the fixed 70 points and what style to choose?) and there are many articles
available examining design, so I will offer only a few basic comments:
* Offensive styles are easier to learn for a newbie. (Or anyone, for that matter)
* Gender does not matter at all in the fight process.
* Generally, fast & quick or brawny & strong rule the day. I said generally.
* WT and WL are the most important stats.
* There are reasons to design to odd numbers. (Exclude CN from that statement.)
* Read newsletters and other RSI info, especially DM93 for design reviews.
You have received your 5 warrior profiles. Time to fill out DUEL II STRATEGY
FORMS and send them in to RSI. "Goodness!" you say; "I wish I had a lot more
information about weapons and strategies and what the warrior profile means, and..."
Here are a list of places and methods for getting additional info:
"Phone a friend." Diplo, e mail, call, write, etc., beg from other players,
especially experienced players in the game.
"Put on your newbie outfit." Ask RSI, or better yet, diplo the teachers/coaches
in Noblish Island (DM93) the "starter's arena" and ask for information provided there.
If you are already in Noblish Island, ask RSI to to make sure you get the CIC or "fact
sheets".
"Go electronic." The best information in the game is available at reality.com/dm,
or terrablood.com, or even try chatzy.com/42003746228981 as DMers chat there from appx
9AM to 2AM EST. and they seem to welcome inexperienced questions.
So back to the strategy sheets. One for each warrior you plan to fight. Write
legibly! You would be very disappointed to have a code inputted improperly because
your scribbles were not so discernible. The basic stuff like warrior name and ID, or
game # and account # don't need discussion. But weapon selection, strategy, armor and
challenging do.
Weapon choice is your chance to select a best weapon against the opponent's
probable armor. Bigger weapons are probably needed against heavy armor. Some weapons
do especially well against certain armor types. (Hmmm; that information mentioned
earlier would help.) The most common weapon arrangements are a single primary weapon
and a small backup primary for offensive types, and a primary/secondary (secondary
could be a shield) and zero to two backups for defensives/finesse warriors.
Strategy is more difficult to decide. Offensives usually start "hot and heavy"
and then slow down, as they will wear down/tire due to weight being carried and a high
activity level Defensives tend to run moderately, but current arena defensive warriors
can be found fighting anywhere from "hot and heavy" to very slow. The desperation
strategy is important, because if your warrior is nearing defeat or exhaustion, you
may want to do something different in a last-ditch effort to pull out the win.
Armor is really a matter of preference, but like every other choice in the game,
there are trade-offs. Heavy armor, while providing more protection, can slow down and
wear down warriors. Naked or light armor may be less restricting and faster but offers
little protection. It is easy to think, "I need lots of armor", but over encumbering a
warrior greatly impacts (diminishes) his fighting ability.
Training is simple. The most common training is "skills", but stats can be and
are trained also. In general the amount of skills learned is based on your WT (the
higher the better), but it is also impacted by the knowledge of the warriors you
fight. (And other things) Stat training is very highly dependent on WL, as the odds of
getting a first stat train of a stat type are 5% times the WL. (E.g. a WL of 15 =
5%x15 or 75% chance.) There can be a luck roll impact also in almost everything that
occurs in Duel 2. Attempting to get a 2nd stat raise in a certain stat is halved.
(E.g. a WL of 15 = 5%x15x 0.5 = 37.5%)
Challenging and avoiding are very strategic components of the game. There are
quite a few managers who do not challenge or avoid or both. You can use that to your
best advantage. Challenge warriors (the warrior ID number) and avoid teams. (The team
ID number.) Several points about challenging/avoiding):
1. Challenging and avoiding do not work until after the warrior has fought
his/her first fight in the arena.
2. Challenge warriors or styles you think you can beat, or who will teach you
well, or to attempt to advance in the rankings.
3. Avoid those teams who have warriors that can probably beat you, or who are
likely to challenge you.
4. Remember: challenge warrior ID numbers (not names) and avoid team numbers (not
names)
5. Some arenas, usually Andorian, frown on down-challenging. (Usually defined as
challenging someone with fewer recognition points that oneself.) Beware of the arena
environment, history, and politics. You have the option to use an alternate "special
strategy" either (or both) when you challenge someone, or when someone challenges you.
You can use this alternate to prepare a specific strategy for that challenge you just
made, or surprising an opponent who will likely challenge or blood feud you. To use
these alternatives, "x" the proper box or boxes and fill out the strategy info on the
back of the strategy form. This alternative strategy will not be used unless the
conditions you selected occur.
That was easy, wasn't it!? After sending in your strategy sheets, (in plenty of
time for the due date--or last minute via fax; no internet submittals allowed) the
computer utilizes everyone's' inputs and the fights proceed. A few days after the
arena run date, the actual fights and arena newsletter will arrive in your mailbox.
Before submitting the new warrior strategies for the next round of fights, there is
much a manager can/should examine and review. Here are generic things that this old-
time manager evaluates:
1. Have I collected/recorded all the information I want from the fight so I can
access it quickly? (Ed Sullivan and his Consortium cronies record this for every
fight: opponent's name, stable, arena and ID number, size, handedness, record, style,
armor, and weapons plus my warrior's train results, armor, weapons, swing info
(criticals/swings/extra value hits). W or L, how many minutes, recognition points, and
political point status- if any. Also recorded are who, if anyone challenged. This is
manually recorded on a sheet with my warrior's name, ID, and size, handedness, plus
style.
2. Did each warrior fight as I expected from the strategy? Do I need to adjust or
change any strategies?
3. Did any warrior act over encumbered or tire faster than I thought? Do I need
to adjust strategies, armor, or weapons?
4. Did each warrior fight well with the weapon? (e.g., hit when he swung and had
critical hits--which are strongly stated weapon hit statements compared to the norm)
Do I need to change weapon selections?
5. Did another warrior out jump me when I did not expect it? Do I need to adjust
strategies or weapons?
6. Did the warriors learn what I expected and learn well? (e.g., earn lots of
skills) If not, what can I do about it? (Switch to learning stats/skills? Challenge a
very experienced warrior?)
7. Do I know anything about the arena warriors that I can challenge? (Have I and
my friends accumulated style and other information on opponents?) Should I challenge
or take the luck of the draw? (Remember: challenge warrior #'s.)
8. Likewise, is there someone within range I just do not want to fight? (A
warrior that has beaten me? A warrior with lots more experience than me? A team that
has my number? Should I avoid the team with that warrior? (Remember: avoid team #'s)
9. Have I written some personal ads or a spotlight to add to the enjoyment of the
arena?
Then it is time to turn in those strategy sheets again!
Duel 2 is a game of gladiators, comprised of knowledge, strategy, and a little
luck. Above all, it is fun. See you on the sands!
-- Friendly, Consortium affiliated
***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***
Basics of Strategy, part 3
Hybrids, (not including tank offensives):
Let's assume you've designed a great hybrid warrior, who has skills in all the right
places and the right mix of physicals for his style. There is not a 'catch all'
strategy for these warriors. In fact, one of the things that makes hybrids so hard to
run (even after you have the right design) is that not all hybrids respond the same to
the same strategy.
Offensive Effort is the 'easiest' number to decide on. Find what works for your
warrior and stick with it. Most hybrids operate best on the favorite Offensive
Effort. You can find other articles talking about favorites and what is likely for
your warrior. While usually avoiding 1-2 is adviseable, I've seen scum and parry
ripostes do nasty things at 1-2 offensive effort.
Activity Level is tougher. Higher is often better and it often won't hurt your
warrior to run at 10 AL. It makes your warrior move around, helping dodge and your
willingness to strike, but 10 AL will burn endurance fast and probably hurts parry.
For a Lunger with lots and lots of endurance, I highly recommend 10 AL. For a Parry
Striker that isn't learning defense skills, maybe not so much. Once again, if you can
find a number that works well, go with it. Assur starts most of his hybrids at 5-10
AL and works from there.
All that said, you might opt to run your hybrid differently in different minutes. My
comments above are assuming you are expecting a short fight (which is usually the
case). For a hybrid with high parry, you might go with a parry strategy minute 1 and
slowly wake up in minutes 2 and 3. For a lunger hybrid, you might opt for very high
numbers in minute 1, then go with some endurance conserving strategy in later
minutes. Work with your warrior and style and his strengths and weaknesses. And use
your challenges, avoids, and your alternate strategy to mix it up a bit.
Armor: DO NOT OVER ENCUMBER YOUR HYBRID!!! One popular formula for determining your
carry ability without penalties is to add your Strength to the lesser of
Strength/Constitution and subtract 6. This is the number of points your warrior can
carry. After you've determined the max you want to carry, that helps you decide your
armor/weapons.
For higher dodge, Assur recommends ARM or lower, even if you can carry more, in most
fights.
Weapons: Feel free to try and find your favorite weapon, but most of Assur's warriors
use the best weapon they can use given their stats. SC, BS, BA, LO are all great
choices if you can use them and highly recommended. For basic strategy, it is tough
to go wrong with those weapons.
I am going to skip the counter strategy section against hybrids.
1) Different hybrids fight differently
2) It is pretty rare to find yourself against an unbeatable hybrid
3) Most of the time, it is combination of skills and luck that will determine
the outcome of these fights.
If you do find yourself sharing an arena with one of the few hybrids that appears to
wipe the arena sands with anyone they face, I recommend avoiding that warrior. These
warriors are special and often look really mediocre until they get on the sands.
SPY REPORT
It is I, Novgorodny Vir, Spymaster of Spymasters. Look on my work, ye mighty,
and despair! Nothing is certain in NOBLISH ISLAND, with changing loyalties, changing
Duelmasters. Write this down: new top team--BASH BROS LEFTOVERS. PUPPET LORDS had
cause to celebrate, after TRAICA got 12 points by beating AMBITIOUS GUARD. Win some,
lose some. Speaking of which, TOO MANY was winsome, after beating MOCKINGBIRD and
seeing her lose 5 points. Our Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to CONVICTED
ASSASSIN, BUT SAJAN is still the Duelmaster because he has the most recognition
points! So who was the warrior seen charging into immovable walls and challenging
dead trees? Someone's got a basic problem...
So much to report, so little time! Like a horde of jackals fleeing from the
lion, so did the "warriors" in NOBLISH ISLAND avoid PUPPET LORDS. As a woman of good
breeding scorns the "warriors" of FARM ANIMALS, so did that sorry team shy from
PUPPET LORDS Is it charming personality? Conversational abilities? Good oral
hygiene? Whatever it is, MOLDY is the most challenged warrior.
The moving sword slashes, and having slashed, moves on... Questions are being
raised about the disposing of severed body parts in the arena. A certain tavern in
NOBLISH ISLAND would I avoid!
All good things must come to an end. More important duties call me. Can
anything compare to the pleasure of writing Spyreports for NOBLISH ISLAND? On that
giddy note I take my leave-- Novgorodny Vir
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SAJAN 9772 6 3 0 62 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
VALEROS 9770 5 4 0 60 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TRAICA 9773 4 5 0 41 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
PRETTY KITTY 9815 3 0 1 35 FARM ANIMALS (1682)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PLOW HORSE 9816 3 0 0 24 FARM ANIMALS (1682)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BELLINOS 9802 4 1 1 23 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
MEAT STORM 9828 2 0 0 20 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674)
SOMEONE ELSE ATE 9833 2 1 0 19 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
TOO MANY 9832 3 0 0 18 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
RINDRA 9769 4 5 0 17 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
NOT ENOUGH 9834 2 1 0 17 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
MOLDY 9830 3 0 0 14 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
-AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
MYSTERIOUS 9831 2 1 0 11 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685)
LUSTFUL TRAMP 9829 1 1 0 11 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674)
HAWAIIAN SHADOW 9765 1 6 0 9 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674)
MOCKINGBIRD 9814 1 2 0 8 FARM ANIMALS (1682)
-DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-SPICULUS 9808 1 0 0 6 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681)
ROOSTER 9813 1 2 0 5 FARM ANIMALS (1682)
-SEARRUS 9645 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-PERSEPHONE 9642 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-AGRISEL 9646 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
BUTCHER'S HAND 9827 0 2 0 2 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674)
FAT COW 9812 0 2 0 2 FARM ANIMALS (1682)
-APOLLA 1682 0 1 0 1 GUARDIANS (303)
-TETRAITES 9809 0 1 0 1 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681)
-ATTILIUS 9810 0 1 0 1 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681)
-PRISCUS 9807 0 1 0 1 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681)
ACHILLES 9819 0 1 0 1 SUICIDE SQUAD (1683)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-CARPOPHORUS 9811 0 1 0 1 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
SUGAR BELLY 9766 1 3 0 RAINBOW BRIGADE 1674 BELLINOS 9802 431 REVENGED
TIGER MOTHER 9767 3 4 1 RAINBOW BRIGADE 1674 PRETTY KITTY 9815 434
PERSONAL ADS
Assur, a salute on your 8-2 start. You are killing my crops, you winner, you! Also, it is quite an embarrassment when all five of one's warriors are on the least ten popular fighter list. (sigh) No wonder I took up farming. -- Friendly Farmer
Not Enough, yes it WAS enough! -- Rooster
Meat Storm, I thought, for a minute there, you were leading me to the butcher. You
fought well, winner. -- Fat Cow
NPCs, thank you for being there for us. -- Mockingbird, Pretty Kitty, and Plow Horse.
Noblish Islanders, writing personal ads is part of the "experience" of D2. Write. At
least, ask Assur and me questions. -- Friendly Farmer, Consortium Affiliated
Sajan -- Well done on the way you held the throne! -- Assur
Farmer -- I guess you farmers are used to farm wives that cook every meal. -- Assur
Apologies for my other opponents. No wisdom for you this week, but I will leave you
with a farm joke. -- Assur
What farm animal keeps the best time? (A watch dog)
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
HAWAIIAN SHADOW was bested by BELLINOS in a 3 minute bloody Bloodfeud fight.
ROOSTER was unbelievably bested by MOLDY in a 2 minute beginner's Challenge battle.
MEAT STORM defeated RINDRA in a crowd pleasing 1 minute Challenge duel.
PLOW HORSE bested NOT ENOUGH in a exciting 4 minute novice's Challenge fight.
SAJAN was bested by CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a 1 minute Title brawl.
VALEROS vanquished AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
TRAICA savagely defeated AMBITIOUS GUARD in a crowd pleasing 1 minute gory brawl.
PRETTY KITTY put to death TIGER MOTHER in a 1 minute gruesome melee.
FAT COW was vanquished by LUSTFUL TRAMP in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
MOCKINGBIRD lost to TOO MANY in a 2 minute novice's duel.
BUTCHER'S HAND was luckily beaten by SOMEONE ELSE ATE in a 2 minute beginner's match.
MYSTERIOUS savagely defeated ACHILLES in a 3 minute bloody novice's match.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|SLASHING ATTACK 5 WALL OF STEEL 4 - 0 - 0 100 |
|BASHING ATTACK 4 TOTAL PARRY 16 - 2 - 0 89 |
|AIMED BLOW 3 PARRY-LUNGE 10 - 4 - 2 71 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 BASHING ATTACK 32 - 28 - 1 53 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 2 AIMED BLOW 14 - 15 - 1 48 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 LUNGING ATTACK 14 - 16 - 0 47 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 1 SLASHING ATTACK 10 - 12 - 0 45 |
|TOTAL PARRY 1 STRIKING ATTACK 22 - 28 - 2 44 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 6 - 15 - 0 29 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 3 - 0 25 |
Turn 434 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 3 3 BASHING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 1 - 2 2 STRIKING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 SLASHING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 3 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 2 1 LUNGING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL
1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK SAJAN 9772 6 3 0 62 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
SLASHING ATTACK VALEROS 9770 5 4 0 60 PUPPET LORDS (1675)
BASHING ATTACK PRETTY KITTY 9815 3 0 1 35 FARM ANIMALS (1682)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is SAJAN 9772. The most popular warrior this turn was
NOT ENOUGH 9834. The ten other most popular fighters were BELLINOS 9802, HAWAIIAN
SHADOW 9765, TRAICA 9773, BUTCHER'S HAND 9827, MYSTERIOUS 9831, ROOSTER 9813, MOLDY
9830, MEAT STORM 9828, MOCKINGBIRD 9814, and TOO MANY 9832.
The least popular fighter this week was ACHILLES 9819. The other ten least popular
fighters were FAT COW 9812, TIGER MOTHER 9767, SAJAN 9772, PLOW HORSE 9816, RINDRA
9769, SOMEONE ELSE ATE 9833, LUSTFUL TRAMP 9829, PRETTY KITTY 9815, VALEROS 9770, and
TOO MANY 9832.
Top Ten Reasons Why Duelmasters is better than Sex
10. When you spend money on Duelmasters, you know you're going to get return on your
investment.
9. One arena won't get jealous when you start playing in another.
8. With the right tourney prize, you can design your own warrior.
7. If you make it to AD, they tell you your warrior's favorites.
6. You can always DA and get another roll-up.
5. The more experience you get, the less likely you are to die.
4. SZ, CN and Charisma are less important in Duelmasters.
3. Most mangers are satisfied with two minute fights.
2. Warriors do as they're told, even if it means using ALE and a WF.
And the number one reason..........
1. You don't have to hold your turn for an hour after you're finished reading it.
Composed by the Jester and Predator
THE ULTIMATE AIMED BLOW
Oh no, not another aimed blow, you think, they always lose and have a tendency to
die if they meet the right person. But I can promise you that this fighter will give
you a lot of wins. Not a 20-0-? record, but a respectable one. Let's have a look at
the stats:
THE BEST: IF YOU CAN FIND IT: TOO BIG: TOO FAST: THE MUTANT:
ST: 9 ST: 9 ST: 9 ST: 9 ST: 7
CN: 15 +/- CN: 14 CN: 14 CN: 15 CN: 15
SZ: 3 - 5 SZ: 3 SZ: 6 - 9 SZ: 3 - 5 SZ: 3
WT: 19 +/- WT: 21 WT: 17 + WT: 19 WT: 13 - 15
WL: 18 +/- WL: 19 WL: 17 + WL: 18 WL: 13 - 15
SP: 3 - 5 SP: 3 SP: 3 - 6 SP: 4 - 9 SP: 15 +
DF: 15 +/- DF: 15 DF: 15 DF: 13 DF: 15 +
ST: So you can use some weapons.
CN: So you can stand some damage, and get at least good endurance.
SZ: The smaller the better.
WT: You need to be smart, and it helps a lot on stats and skills training.
WL: Helps you stand even more damage. It also helps a lot on stats and skills
training.
SP: The slower the better, but needs to be trained to avoid clumsiness. It doesn't
matter if this stat is low, you will hit when you want to hit.
DF: Gives you the response to other's actions, and gives you the initiative when you
need it.
The main weakness of this little fellow seems to be his speed, but this
disadvantage is made good by his small size. He will dodge nearly anything, and what
hits him doesn't matter because of his constitution. The strategy is all up to each
manager, but I prefer to run mine like this:
Weapons: Epee vs. Light Armor
Short Spear vs. Medium Armor
Shortsword vs. Heavy Armor
Shield: Medium Shield vs. Light and Heavy Armor
Armor: Depends on who I am challenging
Helm: Full helm
Strategy 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th+ Desp.
Offensive Effort 5 5 5 6 5 4 2
Activity Level 5 6 6 6 5 5 4
Kill Desire 4 4 5 6 6 4 2
Attack Location: Head or Chest
Defend Location: Body or Head
Offensive and Defensive tactics are something I seldom use.
Challenging is very important when running an aimed blow. Try to challenge big,
unarmored fighters. Train strength, speed, and deftness.
Well, that's all, for now. Try it and send me a diplo note if you have any
comments on my aimed blow.
Brought to you by Manimal, Manager of Cowards Guild, DM-31.
May victory by yours (or mine.)
Aimed Blows My Way
Okay, so it's a pretentious title. No more so than anyone else's, what with all
these "the perfect" this and "the perfect" that; what I'm going to show you here is
several different ways to make aimed blows and win with them.
There is no one specific way to make an aimed blow. You'll hear a lot of
managers claim that they "HAVE" to have a 21 DF in order to be any good at all. Well,
that's a trifle exaggerated. It's NICE to have a 21 DF. This will increase your
attack rating, and give you a certain boost. But it isn't necessary for a good,
solid, long-term aimed blow.
I'm going to give several examples of aimed blows, both how-tos and how-not-tos.
All the aimed blows represented here actually fight on one of my stables, so I did
this all by hit-and-miss. Unlike some managers, I don't believe that the first,
third, and fifth rules of aimed blows is "they die." It's only the third rule. <grin>
Now then. Design:
ST: Any, really. You can go low, since aims can handle daggers and open hand
just fine.
CN: Again, any. A little more can help them take a hit, but if they're lucky,
they'll do all right even if they can't.
SZ: Any. This is a versatile style. Big ones do great. Little ones do great.
WT: I'm going to surprise you, here. Anything. Yep, anything. Best is 11-21,
of course.
WL: Again. Any. Honest! An aim can do without will and can also use it to its
best advantage. But from here on is where you've got to pay attention.
SP: LOW. Keep it below 9 if possible. Below 7 is better.
DF: HIGH. 21 is always best, but 17 works okay, too.
So now you have a rollup with a low speed and a high deftness and it doesn't look
like much else. You've got a good aimed blow. Yes!
Examples of "do" design aims:
1) 7-5-12-21-11-7-21
2) 11-16-6-21-9-4-17
3) 10-15-6-17-9-6-21
4) 13-9-5-17-17-6-17
5) 11-5-10-11-21-5-21
6) 8-10-9-17-15-4-21
7) 5-10-7-17-17-11-17
8) 12-12-7-21-9-6-17
9) 7-11-8-11-21-5-21
10) 9-14-8-15-17-4-17
Ten is a good, round number. 1-4 are Immortal. All have winning records. Most
of them beat lungers in one minute. The low-con ones have the most trouble, because
they can't take a hit--if they get hit, they go down. Fortunately, that's only killed
a few of mine (the dead ones I won't list just now, since it's so depressing).
Examples of "don't" design aims, unless you're as insane as me or much more
experienced in your aimed blow running:
1) 17-5-5-11-17-9-21 (beat the DA three times before he was killed--he gets a
special place at #1)
2) 13-8-12-11-11-18-11
3) 11-12-6-21-13-8-13
4) 11-12-12-17-11-4-17
5) 12-7-18-13-13-5-16 (my first)
6) 11-14-7-9-17-9-17
7) 9-11-9-17-11-10-17
There's certainly more "don'ts" than dos, but those are ones I actually have
played somewhere; 2-5 are immortal, with usually 50% records except for the 11 DF (who
is in permanent retirement). He came along early in my aimed blow career, when I was
making EVERY rollup into an aimed blow to see for myself what worked and what didn't.
That didn't. Some of the mortal ones I'm still running, and they do well enough, but
as I said, until you get a little experience there are some things you may not want to
try unless, like me, you want to see what happens for yourself. <grin>
Now for strategy. This is probably the most important thing you'll give your
aim.
Weapons: Scimitar, unless they don't have the strength for it, in which case, dual
daggers. Longsword is next, then fists, then quarterstaff. You need an 11 ST for
longsword, so that's probably not always realistic. If your aim likes to fight with
his fists, you can let him, but I'd advise waiting until he's got some experience, and
you know your opponent isn't much on armor and parrying, because you can do yourself
some serious damage on the parries. Quarterstaff is a two-handed weapon, so bear that
in mind if you use it.
Armor: Keep it light, no more than ARM/H, and then only if you're worried about your
opponent. An aimed blow is a fast, offensive warrior--don't load him down.
Strategy:
10 8 8 6 6 6 10
10 2 2 1 1 1 10
1 --------------------------------------------------------- >
LL --------------------------------------------------------- >
HE --------------------------------------------------------- >
D
That's a good, all-purpose, general strategy. Some aims will want to play around with
it, and you let them--see what they like. But, and this is VERY important: keep that
KD low! An aimed blow relies on his control and his accuracy, and higher KDs will
cause them to lose a lot of that. If you're bloodthirsty, change the attack location
to the head. I recommend the legs for knockdowns. Either way, your aim will attack
THAT LOCATION, over and over again, until he has defeated his opponent, and very
decisively, from total parries (the classic aimed blow opponent) to lungers (the
classic aimed blow enemy). Remember: the aimed blow is an OFFENSIVE style. He has
some finesse, but he is a brutal and efficient warrior. Keep him in control; he'll
win. You can also play with desperation, but for me just dropping the first minute
tactic often works just fine. As for the use of decise, as always, it's up to the
manager, but decise will help keep your aim from "standing around looking for an
opening" in the first minute. Get him moving.
As always, experiment, find what works for you, and have fun.
Raf
Lord Protector
Ivory League
Manager of Tex's Rangers (51, 100, 101), Assassins (40, 105), Impressionists (27,
105), The Damned (30, 105, 101, 102), etc.
The Mechanics of Death
By Sir Jessie Jest
Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone! This article discusses the mechanics
involved when a warrior dies in combat. It will give the reader a better knowledge of
how a warrior actually gets killed in combat.
Here is how a warrior dies... The Facts) ...in fact, get out a dead warrior's
last fight so you can follow me. To start the process of death, a warrior must first
fail to make a death roll. Let's say the death roll is 20 or less out of 100 to fail
that roll for this example.
There are 2 ways a warrior can be forced to make that Death Roll.
1. The vitals roll.
2. The second is when you run out of hit points, which is called the "infirmary roll."
The vitals roll -- every time a warrior gets hit in a vital area you make a
vitals roll. Lets say that you fail on a 1-15% out of 100. If you get hit in the
head, chest, or abdomen, you will roll the vitals percent. If you roll 15 or less you
must make the death roll to determine if the warrior was killed. Now look at the
fight with your dead warrior on it...look for the death intent statement, it will say
something like, "Trying to make this into a death match, or seeks death of his
opponent, etc. etc." (there are a lot of them) that is telling you that your warrior
was forced to make a death roll.
Now comes the scary part: if you fail the death roll your warrior dies. But the
program does not kill you immediately because you still have hit points left. So what
happens next is that you will get normal attacks and damages that hit your character
automatically in the vitals until yours hit points run out. Then it will say your
warrior is dead. Remember that it will be normal hits to the vitals, not crits or
extra damage remarks. If your warrior dodges, crit attacks , parries, has extra
damage remarks or anything else EXCEPT a normal hit to the vitals, the sentence
following right after the death intent statement comes up, then he made his death roll
successfully and the fight continues. You can have many death intent statements come
up in one fight, depending on the number of times you hit a vital. You won't get one
every time, only when you fail the vitals roll. And your warrior will have to roll
the death roll every time you fail the vitals roll to see if he is killed or not.
EXAMPLE:
INFERNO leaps to his left!
INFERNO's scimitar lunges with awesome cutting power!
NULN takes an upper body hit!
NULN is badly hurt!
NULN is becoming FRANTIC!!!!
INFERNO's scimitar lunges with awesome cutting power!
NULN is struck on the left rib cage!
What a devastating attack!!
NULN is dangerously stunned!
INFERNO is trying to make this a death match----(Death Intent)
INFERNO slashes an attack with his scimitar---(Normal Attack)
NULN is struck on the side of the HEAD!---(Vital Hit)
INFERNO slashes with his scimitar
NULN is wounded in the upper chest.
INFERNO slashes with his scimitar
NULN is hit in the forehead!
NULN curses the gods in frustration!
NULN falls LIFELESS to the ground!
INFERNO has won the duel!
INFERNO laughs and says, "What a loser!"
As you see, if you fail the vitals roll, and then fail the death roll, you will
get normal attacks to the vital areas until all of your warrior's hit points are gone.
All of your dead warriors that have died from DEATH INTENT statements will have those
three things... death intent statement, then normal attack, then hits to the vitals
until all hit points are gone. Then you will get some sort of, "falls over dead
statement." In the past, if you failed the death intent statement roll, the program
would just skip all the stuff that was in between the death intent statement and the
falls over dead statement. It would say something like this:
INFERNO seeks the death of his opponent
NULN falls to the ground lifeless
INFERNO has won the duel.
But they changed it to make death more dramatic.
The second way your warrior is forced to make a death roll is if your warrior
runs out of hit points during or after the fight has ended. This roll is called the
infirmary roll and can happen in or out of combat, and does not matter where your
warrior gets hit. If your warrior has taken many hits, that reduces his hit point
total below the preset percentage... lets say it 5% of your total hit points... then
he will make an infirmary roll. If you fail the infirmary roll, you then make the
death roll to determine if your warrior has died. In combat, you will read that you
died from serious wounds or something to that effect. After a fight is over, the
program checks to see if your warrior has fallen below that preset percentage of hit
points, if you have, you will make an infirmary roll. If you fail the infirmary roll,
an infirmary statement will appear at the bottom of your fight letting you know if
your warrior failed the death roll that comes after that. Sometimes you can die in
combat without a death intent statement that comes up during the battle . This is a
good example of an infirmary roll failure in combat from low hit points, triggering
the death roll which actually is the roll that kills your warrior. In some battles
you can get hit several times in the vitals, have several death intent statements come
up, make every roll successfully and still die from lack of hit points (i.e.: fail the
infirmary roll).
A simple way to think of this is the 2 ways are : 1. vitals roll, which deals
with getting hit in the head, chest, or abs and dying when a death intent statement
comes up. Or # 2. infirmary roll, which deals with dying from lack of hit points,
and does not use the death intent statement. I'd say about 90% of all deaths are by
death intent statement because of a failed vitals roll. Only a small percentage die
from the infirmary roll in or out of combat.
Well, that's it. These are facts, not theories. You can check this out with all
your dead warriors, and you will learn there are NO exceptions. Those percentages I
used up there are just made up, I have no way of knowing what they really are.
Now I have formed theory regarding KD or kill desire. I do not believe KD has
anything to do with a warrior dying, but is rather a tool to determine your warrior's
aggressiveness in combat. In other words the timing of his blows, his shot
selection, and other such things. For example: The higher the KD the wilder he is
with his shots, and easier to feint, dodge, parry and riposte. Some styles like Abs
(Aimed Blows) fight better with a 1 KD because they are very selective with their
shots. Most of the other offensive styles function well between 5-7 KD. Any more
than that is just a waste of endurance and has a negative effect on your warrior's
performance in battle, in my opinion.
Well that's it for now. If you would like to chat sometime drop me a diplo at
Jessie's Kids in DM 60 (yes, I've come out of retirement) ;) May the axe fall in your
favor!
Cheerio!
Sir Jessie Jest,
Lord of Puns, and Master of Laughter.
Troll-Bred Bashers
The Bashing attack is not, as many of you may have noticed, one of the dominant
styles in Duelmasters. There are two reasons for this; one of which I will cover
here, the other I will cover in an accompanying article. I will preface this article
on Bashing attack design and strategy by saying that I have been playing Duelmasters
for two years, and I have spent most of this time experimenting with and perfecting
the Bashing Attack. In my opinion, a Basher needs to possess a monumentally high
attack percentage, with decisiveness and initiative not far behind. What follows is
designed to achieve the desired results.
Let's get right down to business. First, the stats:
PERFECT
ST: 13-17 15
CN: 3-5 3
SZ: 6-9 6
WT: 17-21 21
WL: 17-21 21
SP: 5-9 5
DF: 11-15 13
Here's why:
Strength is arguably the most important attribute for a basher. A basher with a
high strength can virtually be assured of a reasonably high attack. however, excess
strength takes away points from other vital areas and, as you will see, this Basher
will not want for attack. A 13 strength gives the Basher most of the good Bashing
weapons.
Constitution is absolutely unimportant to any offensive styles warrior. Bashers,
and for that matter, offensives in general, should be designed to dish out damage, not
absorb it. If you are designing a Basher to absorb damage, then you are designing him
wrong.
Size is an attribute that this game system does not handle well. As we all know,
too large a size means that you do not have enough points to allocate to the other
attributes. You would think logically that a Basher would need a large size. I am
not talking about logic. I am talking about winning within the parameters of this
game system. I give a minimum size of 6 since this is the smallest size that can
achieve "great damage with a blow."
Wit, in my opinion, is the most important attribute for every style. This is
strictly my opinion and you do not have to agree with me. Where Bashers are concerned
however, a Basher without very high wit is garbage. High wit will greatly effect a
Basher's initial attack, decisiveness, and initiative. My research has led me to the
conclusion that a Basher's initiative is primarily a function of wit. high wit also
ensures that the Basher will train consistently. Also, a Basher with a high wit can
expect an initial initiative rating somewhere in the 50-60% range. Note that speed is
also a modifier for initiative.
Will is another attribute that the Basher cannot do without. Will affects a
Basher's attack and decisiveness, and is responsible for, in conjunction with
strength, giving the Basher normal endurance, despite the pitifully low constitution.
Speed has almost no affect on a basher. I have seen many high speed Bashers, and
I can tell with 100% certainty that Bashers do not derive strong benefit from speed.
Slasher, strikers, and to a lesser extent, Lungers, all derive noticeable benefit from
speed. I am not saying that a 5 speed Basher will be equally as fast (initially) as a
19 speed Basher, but I am saying that a Basher can derive greater benefit by placing
points in other areas. This Basher will drive his decisiveness from the high wit/will
combinations: 21-21-5; 19-19-7; 17-17-9. These combinations, or something similar,
will generate an initial decisiveness rating of about 50%.
Deftness is very important to a Basher. The strength/wit/will/deftness
combination is where this Basher will generate the awesome attack percentage and his
attacking precision. A Basher with the aforementioned minimums in
strength/wit/will/deftness can expect to achieve an initial attack rating between 60-
80%. A 13 deftness will also allow the use of my favorite weapon, the morning star.
In the hands of a Basher, this is a devastating weapon.
Now that you know how to design a Basher, here's how they should be run.
This strategy should be used vs. offensive styled warriors:
1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
10 10 10 10 10 10 10
10 3 3 3 3 3 10
7 7 7 7 7 7 7
HE HE HE HE HE HE HE
HE HE HE HE HE HE HE
D B D
The offensive effort is self-explanatory. If you are not trying to destroy your
opponent, then you should not be running a Basher. The activity level requires some
explanation. Bashers, as you might expect, perform better with a low activity level.
This is because the Bashing attack style is a series of overhand, overpowering blows
which are designed to deliver maximum hitting power. Running around like a
decapitated chicken would appear to be counterproductive. Here is the key. The 10
activity level in minute one is designed to help you get the jump on another offensive
warrior. If you do get the jump, you will win. Even if you are hurting the Basher's
attack percentage, how many offensive warriors do you know of that will be able to
parry or dodge this Basher's attack? NONE. Therefore, the 10 activity level in
minute one is justified. The decisiveness tactic in minute one is also there to help
you get the first shot off. Assuming you get the jump in minute one and the fight
somehow manages to make it into minute two, that's where the bash tactic comes in.
You enter minute two with the initiative, land a bash modified head shot into the poor
slob in front of you, and down he goes!!! Minutes 3-6 are basically superfluous as
not many fights will go that far. 10-3-7 allows the basher to do what he does best.
The theory behind the desperation configuration is the same as that for minute one.
Since the bashing attack is a downward motion, attacking the head is logical to say
the least. Modify this to the chest if you suspect that you adversary is protecting
his head. Defending your head is simply there to ensure that you hold your hands up
high. My reasoning is that I am simply trying not to interfere with the Basher's
attack, as opposed to seriously trying to defend myself. Against defensive warriors,
change minute one to 10-3-7 with no tactics: i.e., let the basher do what he does
best. I have only lost one fight to a defensive styled warrior with my best basher,
and that was MY fault. Minute two can be left the same, or you can drop the bash
tactic. I am tempted to leave the desperation minute the same. If you are desperate,
it probably means you were just hit. This design cannot take getting hit. You need
to go berserk in order to regain the initiative.
A high quality Basher should have no trouble with Parry-XYZ's and TPs. Against
scum try 7-1-7 with the bash tactic. You should have no trouble blasting attacks
through the feeble parries of a scum warrior, and the relatively slow (for a basher)
tempo will allow you to keep it up for 3-4 minutes, which WILL be more than enough
time to demolish even the most stubborn APA, F, ME, ME 1-1-1-P Total Parry. Let me
also mention that the bash tactic should never be used against PRs.
Last, but by no means least, is what to wear. Armor should be APL, ALE, or none
at all. DO NOT strap this basher into a suit of plate armor. The Bashing Attack,
despite what some other managers say (even those self-proclaimed "highly experienced"
manager who relentlessly brag about their 600+ winning percentages who only run
defensives, SCUM, and lungers) is a quick style. The armor should be correspondingly
light to allow the basher to get the jump on his opponent. The same theory applies to
weapon selection. Try using the QS, MS, of the WH. The GA and MA should only be used
against slower offensives of defensive styled warriors. Again, the key here is
quickness. THIS basher is designed to win his fights, with his tremendous attack
percentage, not with his tremendous damage bonus.
This article has been brought to you by.....
Mark Schwartz
280 Middlesex Road aka Troll King
Matawan, NJ 07747 mgr. Troll Lords
201-583-5150 Arena #36 Jhans
HOW TO BUILD A BETTER WARRIOR (version Y2k)
I'm sure that by now everyone has had enough of those "perfect" warrior advice
articles. And, while they are useful to a point, it's hard to apply their advice to
the hordes of non-perfect warriors we get every day. Hence, this article is for the
other 99% non-perfect warriors. The design ideas presented here have been valid over
the course of my 15 years of experience with this game, with proven success at all
levels of the game.
There are several things to think about when designing a warrior. First is
fighting style. Second is longevity. Third is weapon suitability. Fourth is
physical capabilities. Fifth is trainability. While I will discuss these separately
in this article, they must be thought about simultaneously in order to get the maximum
potential from each and every roll-up.
Fighting style is the most important decision you'll make about your new warrior.
Consider all possibilities. Sometimes you will need to experiment with the numbers,
play around with several different combinations, before picking the best style. The
offensive styles are lunging, slashing, striking, aimed blow, and bashing. The
defensive styles are total parry, parry riposte, and parry strike. The mixed styles
are wall of steel and parry-lunge. The offensive warriors have lots of attack ability
and little defense (except lungers). Their key attributes are usually will (for
endurance and attack skills) and strength (for damage capability and attack skills).
High wit and deftness are also high on the list as they both give a lot of skills,
particularly attack skills. [Tip #1: Never design an aimed blow with less than a 21
deftness.] The defensives have lots of defensive ability (particularly parry) but
poor attack. Their key attributes are usually will (for damage taking and parry
skills) and constitution (for damage taking). Again, extra wit and deftness is highly
desirable for the extra skills. [Tip #2: Keep wit as low as possible on scum
warriors.] The mixed styles have pretty good attack and pretty good defense, making
them among the most formidable warriors in the game. Their key attributes are will
(what a surprise!) and whatever gets them to good cut-offs, because mixed styles use
defensive and offensive skills with equal effectiveness. If you notice, speed doesn't
come up as an important stat for any style, but it is probably best utilized by the
offensive styles. I tend to like warriors that will perform well (as opposed to
looking good but still losing), so I tend to design a lot of offensive and mixed
styles.
Longevity is another design concern. The main decision here is whether your new
warrior will have a long, Gateway oriented career, or have a shorter life span. If
shorter, how much shorter? In general, for maximum learning and maximum training,
you'll want to add as much as possible to wit and will. If you envision Gateway god-
hood in your warrior's future, then designing him with a low wit or will has only a
minor effect; it merely takes a little longer for him to reach his full potential. If
your warrior has a sandbagging champions future, then you'll want to add as much wit
as possible to get him competitive as soon as possible. For an ADM title shot, you'll
want to build in some easy stat trains that give lots of skills. For a short, rookies
or novices oriented career, you'll probably want a high will because you'll most
likely be looking for quick, significant stat trains. The point is, decide when the
warrior is born how long his career will be, and you will be better able to maximize
his potential towards that ultimate target.
Weapon suitability must also be considered. As is well known, not all weapons
are well-suited to all styles, and every warrior has a favorite weapon. It is
important to design a warrior so he will be able to use the significant weapons well-
suited to his style. It should not take more than a couple stat trains to get your
warrior well-suited to some good weapons. (Consult available charts for weapon
suitability.) I feel that it is important to be well suited to several weapons of
your style. This gives you the opportunity to change and surprise your foes. If your
warrior lacks the attributes to use key weapons of his style, his effectiveness will
be diminished.
Physical capabilities is an often overlooked aspect of warrior design. The three
main areas of concern are endurance, the ability to inflict damage, and the ability to
take damage. At least one of these should be at the "good" level or above, and the
more the better. There is usually a trade-off between designing for skills and
designing for physical attributes. The trick is to maximize both. Always evaluate
the possibility of adding to strength over deftness. The damage capability gained
will usually out-weigh the difference in skills. Endurance is usually a key factor in
an offensive warrior's ability to defeat a defensive. Conversely, the ability to take
damage is usually a key factor in a defensive warrior's ability to defeat an
offensive. Again, use the available charts to design your warrior to reach the
desired physical levels with a minimum of stat trains.
The fastest way for a new warrior to improve is to learn skills with a 21 wit.
With a 21 wit, you can usually average three skills per fight for your first 20 fights
or so. Going into an adepts tournament with 60+ skills is very good. The higher the
wit, the more skills your warrior will learn, so keep this in mind when designing your
potential tournament champions.
A number of managers advocate early stat trains that burn skills. I only do this
in the most severe of cases, like a 3 wit scummy warrior. The main reason I don't do
this is because any warrior I want to fight beyond novices is going to need as many
skills as he can get. In addition, if a warrior burns skills early, he'll end up with
less than his contemporaries at the time they both max skills. This leads to
diminished skill levels when the warrior makes a TC run in the Freshmen, ADM, or
Eligibles class, and to a protracted struggle to get the warrior inducted to
Primus/Gateway when the time comes. It also eliminates the option to sandbag in the
champions since your burned warrior will never have the skills to compete with non-
burned warriors.
However, I do design for trainability. I like my warriors to have a shot at a TC
in the ADM or Eligibles class, so I will purposely leave deftness at 9, counting on
the quick, easy trains once all my skills are learned. You can do the same in wit,
will, speed, and even strength; leave the starting stat a couple points below a level
with significant skills, then train those stats when you make your TC run. Of course,
since you're planning on making this training run in Advanced Duelmasters, the best
stat for trainability is a 21. Every train past 21 will give you quick, significant,
valuable skills.
Of course, any set of design rules or guidelines will have its exceptions. There
are many good warriors out there who did not follow any of the rules outlined above,
but there are many, many more dead ones. So, if you follow these rules most of the
time, most of your warriors will be winners.
That said, let's do a couple examples. First, we'll redesign the legendary Broke
Stroker.
ST 10 + 0 = 10
CN 10 + 0 = 10
SZ 10
WT 9 + 6 = 15
WL 9 + 6 = 15
SP 11 + 0 = 11
DF 11 + 2 = 13
Style: Lunger
Comments: His wit and will are high enough to make him a viable long-term warrior.
He starts well-suited to the short spear, and is only one strength train away from
longsword suitability. He's got enough con to take a hit, and he'll likely also get
good damage with his first strength train, if not on the original overview.
ST 5 + 4 = 9
CN 8 + 0 = 8
SZ 14
WT 8 + 5 = 13
WL 13 + 4 = 17
SP 10 + 0 = 10
DF 12 + 1 = 13
Style: Slasher
Comments: He starts well-suited to scimitar, and has enough ST, CN, & WL to get
normal endurance. He has a good shot at good damage to start with, and if not, it's
only a train or two away.
ST 12 + 5 = 17
CN 8 + 1 = 9
SZ 7
WT 11 + 6 = 17
WL 8 + 1 = 9
SP 14 + 0 = 14
DF 10 + 1 = 11
Style: Striker
Comments: This low will wonder needs help to get normal endurance, thus the high
strength. It gives the additional bonus of guaranteeing good damage on a relatively
small warrior. The 11 deftness gives him suitability to almost every weapon.
Now it's time for you to go forth and design your own godlings (or is that
"doglings"?). Armed with these guidelines, you too can have your share of Broke
Strokers in Advanced Duelmasters. Good luck, and may the gods guide your blows
straight and true!
-- Neon Necromancer
(DM 1: Care Less Bears; DM 18: Mad Scientists;
other random teams and 100ish ADM warriors)